Can I Compete in a Men’s Physique Contest Wearing Shorts That Sit Below the Navel?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
May a man compete in a Men’s Physique contest in board shorts that sit two to three centimeters below the navel and end at the top of the kneecap, and if that attire falls short of the Shafiʿi requirement, how serious is the shortfall?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
The attire you describe does not meet the Shafiʿi requirement for covering nakedness (awra). It falls short at both ends, the waistband and the hem, and wearing it on a stage before people is unlawful rather than merely disliked. You have asked this carefully and in good faith, and that care is worth more than any title on offer.
Begin with the boundary. In the Shafiʿi school, a man’s nakedness is what lies between the navel and the knee, and neither the navel itself nor the knee itself is part of it [Nawawi, Minhaj al-Talibin]. That much you have right, and it is the relied-upon position (al-muʿtamad).
The Waistband
Everything below the navel is nakedness. Shorts sitting two to three centimeters beneath it leave bare a strip that the school counts as covered ground, so your first question is settled before the question of a margin is even reached.
As for that margin, it is a legal requirement and not a precaution. The relied-upon position obliges a man to cover part of the navel and part of the knee, because what lies between them cannot be covered with certainty otherwise, and a means without which an obligation cannot be discharged carries the ruling of that obligation [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj; Suyuti, al-Ashbah wa al-Nazaʾir]. Your waistband must sit on the navel or above it.
The Hem
The knee is not counted as nakedness in your school, but the thigh is, in prayer and outside it. By your own description, the lowest part of the thigh shows above the kneecap, and that is nakedness left bare. The rule at this end mirrors the rule at the other: the hem must come down over the top of the knee rather than stop at it.
The Stage
Suppose the garment were corrected at both ends. The setting would still stand in the way. Covering must be thick enough that the skin does not show through, and loose enough that it does not trace the shape beneath, and clothing that clings is blameworthy even where it technically covers [Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj].
You have chosen a looser cut for that very reason, which is to your credit, though it does not reach the greater difficulty. A physique contest exists so that the body can be viewed. It is scored by a panel and watched by a mixed audience, and the look is the event itself. Allah Most High says, “Tell believing men, they lower and restrain their looks, and keep well chaste their private parts: That is purer for their spiritual growth; Verily Allah is well aware of all they work.” [Quran 24:30] A man told to lower his gaze is not free to make himself the thing others are told to lower theirs from.
How Serious This Is
Uncovering nakedness before people without necessity is unlawful (haram) and sinful, not a technical shortfall. Four things here weigh on the heavier side rather than the lighter: it is planned and not accidental, it is public, it is held for the length of a posing round, and the exposure is the purpose of the occasion rather than a byproduct of it.
Your intention is a separate matter, and I take it exactly as you state it. A sound intention raises an act that is lawful in itself; it does not make an unlawful act lawful. Benefit is weighed against harm in this religion, and a genuine benefit does not buy a clear prohibition [Izz ibn Abd al-Salam, Qawaʿid al-Ahkam].
Where to Go from Here
Keep the training. Strength, discipline, and the care of a body you hold in trust are all good, and none of that is undone by this answer. What you cannot do is carry it onto that stage dressed that way. Look for a federation or category whose required kit you can meet, or place the same discipline in a sport where coverage is straightforward.
Allah Most High says, “O children of Adam: We have sent down on you clothing that conceals your shameful parts, and finery; And the raiment of godfearingness, that is better; All that is of the signs of Allah, that haply they may remember and heed.” [Quran 7:26] The clothing is a gift, and the godfearingness worn beneath it is the better garment of the two.
May Allah reward you for the care with which you asked, protect your modesty, and give you better than whatever you set aside for His sake.
Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
- What Is the Male Dress Code According to the Shafiʿi School? — The Shafiʿi minimum for men, between the navel and the knee, is set apart from what social custom expects.
- Is the Knee Cap Included in the Minimum Nakedness? — Why the Hanafi school counts the whole knee as nakedness while the Shafiʿi and Maliki schools do not.
- Can I Wear Short Shorts and Soccer Jerseys Supporting International Clubs? — A footballer learns the thigh is nakedness in the Shafiʿi school, in prayer and out of it.
- Is It Allowed to Wear Shorts While Playing Sports? — Shorts in sport are allowed when they cover the navel to the knee, with extra care when clothing rides up.
- Can I Cover My Knees With Compression Tights? — A Hanafi answer on fit: skin-tight covering is to be avoided, and loose, modest clothing is the better way.
